Information for Potential Volunteers

Thank you for enquiring about volunteering.  We welcome the contribution people like yourself bring to the academy and always do our best to support volunteers.

A volunteer is classed as someone who is seeking experience of working in a school environment and arranging a placement / long term placement for themselves independently of a training provider, for example a College or University.

Coop Academy Princeville is responsible for safer recruitment and promotes the welfare of children. All appointments, including those of volunteers, are subject to Enhanced DBS clearance. We have the same high standards of recruitment for volunteers as we do for those who are appointed with a contract of employment. All volunteers are subject to the checks required by the statutory guidance published and updated by the Department for Education annually - ‘Keeping children safe in education’.

Volunteers must have the legal right to undertake voluntary work in the UK. More information can be found in Home Office guidance.

Before we decide whether we can offer you a placement, there are a number of steps we need you to take as outlined below.

1. Complete this volunteer application form documenting your reasons for wishing to gain experience in the school and work alongside children.

2. Provide details of two referees. Two references must be provided from two different organisations.

3. Complete this ‘Pre interview self disclosure form’ to disclose any unspent cautions, convictions or bind-overs, and any offences that would not be filtered.

4. Attend an interview / discussion with the volunteering recruitment manager to confirm details in your application.

5. Undertake an enhanced DBS check with or without barred list check as per voluntary requirements in the Safer Recruitment policy, section 5.4.

6. Complete the Disqualification under the Childcare Act declaration form once offer has been confirmed (if applicable)

7. Complete any other checks required by the academy in line with the Safer Recruitment Policy for volunteers.

8. In accordance with our safeguarding procedures, the school records the details of volunteers on our Single Central Record.

9. Complete a volunteers induction at the academy and ensure the volunteers induction checklist form is signed and passed to the academy’s HR / admin team for filing.